College Night

A video posted on Youtube.com, from the neighboring college town of Ann Arbor.

Showing what the opposite poles of the typical college night.

 YPSILANTI, Mich - It’s a Thursday night in a college town.

As I exit my room I can hear the silent thumping of the bass, and the sound of hair dryers humming.

Tonight I am in the building because of work, but being able to sit from the silent observer position makes me take the college life in a new light As I sit at the desk, I see an array of residents exiting and entering the building. Plenty of girls come clunking down the stairs in their tight dresses and stilettos. The guys are wearing their collared shirt, and reek of their sickeningly strong cologne. As they exit and make their way out, I hear the giggling and excited talk for the night to begin.

It seemed to me as if Thursday nights in a college town wee the night for the daring, to step out of their shoes. The same girls caked in makeup with soon to be blistered feet, are the same girls in the library on a Tuesday night. As I sat there passing my time with my fellow Resident Asssistants waiting until the rush came back in as the parties were broken up and clubs shut down. I asked some of the residents who kept passing my way why they are not out.

Bily Simmons a resident of Best Hall stated,

“ I have an 8:00 am class, of course I feel like I should go to meet people, but I also know I have obligations.”

As more residents came in and out I get a lot of the same answers, work or school seemed to be a priority. Of course I did have the huge group who said ,

“Thursday Night is party night and we are going to CLUTCH CARGOS!!”

As they begin to dance and yell, making their way out. I wondered what their priorities were.

Later in the evening I could not help but laugh as the girls came in (shoes off…) hair flat, being held up by the also stumbling exhausted boys. Being an RA I am easily amused that freshmen forget that we were once freshmen too. For some reason many believe that looking at the ground makes it less obvious to RA’s that they have been drinking all night. That the smell of pot isn’t that obvious, that perhaps maybe it is even a new cologne.

I feel as if this is a required step of college. I remember sneaking back in to my residence hall thinking I was a little rebel, because I had gone to a college party. I remember the exact feeling of coming in through night watch, and back into my building. Feeling a sense of accomplishment as I met my door and turned the lock, loving being an “adult”.

Yet as my shift ended and I sat outside on the cold cement bench, I began to attract company from the night life stragglers. They came and took a seat near me smoking their cherry Black and Milds. Telling me of the up’s and down’s of their night.

As the scream of police sirens filled the air, and the boys take another drag, I was content as a college student enjoying her night in. In that moment I am just another student, not an RA. They can tell me about everything that they have done tonight, without an ounce of hesitation. It is then I realized no matter where you spent your night, its just another night in the college town.